Brake



May 1, 1951 M. P. wlN'rHE-R 2,551,079

BRAKE Filed July l, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l ff-mbunlllllllu--g FIGA. 63 Qq, 9,

37 @5f HSSQ L i: r73 Cg/ 6/ 63 7 79`I 5/ M, J

77 i 75 67 Mg May 1, 1951 M. P. wlNTHER 2,551,079

v BRAKE Filed July 1, 1946 2 sheets-sheet 2 FIGZ.

Patented May l, 1,951

UNITED BRAKE Martin P. Winther, Waukegan, Ill., assignor t said Martin P. Winther, as trustee Application July 1, 1946, Serial No. 680,720

Claims. 1

This invention relates to brakes, and with regard to certain more specic features to a composite eddy-current and mechanical brake system for hoists such as oil well draw-works and the like.

Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision of a long-wearing, inexpensive brake system combining the advantages of mechanical and eddy-current brake systems; the provision of a brake system that continuously and positively controls over a wide range of speeds; the provision of a composite brake system in which the elements are controllable either commonly or independently, and in which the elements act either simultaneously or consecutively; and the provision of automatic means for the purpose that are dependable in action and simple in operation. Other objects will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combinations of elements, features of construction, and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the structures hereinafter described, and the Scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which several of various possible embodiments of the invention are illustrated,

Fig. l is a diagrammatic side elevation of an oil well drilling rig;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section taken along line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the coordination of certain controls; and

Fig. 4 is an electrical circuit diagram.

Similar reference characters indicate corre sponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

The use of hydraulic reaction brakes for stopping heavy loads has the disadvantage of generating insufcient torque at low speeds. This is due to the inherent characteristics of brakes of this type which generate a torque that is proportional to some exponential value of the speed. Thus, as the speed approaches zero, the torque will rapidly decrease. Mechanical brakes of the friction type have sufficient torque at low speeds but have short life at high speeds and require frequent replacement of the friction surfaces due to rapid wear. Electromagnetic brakes of the eddy-current type produce high torque at low speeds, and have long operating life, but they are unable to hold a load stationary at Zero speed'. Coordination of the Various types of brakes has heretofore been unsuccessful because of improper operating conditions and complexities.

By means of the present invention is provided a combination of an electromagnetic brake and a mechanical brake possessing the advantages of each system but without its disadvantages. It effects simplified, independent, simultaneous, consecutive, or variably concurrent operations, without requiring great skill'V in coordination of several manual devices used.

A system such as is indicated in this inven tion is of great value to the oil well drilling industry, for example. In drilling an oil well it is necessary to replace the bit at the end of the drill pipe at frequent intervals. To make this operation as economical and as safe as is possible, several requirements must be met. The drill pipe must be rapidly removed from the well and sections of pipe must be expeditiously disconnected. After the bit is replaced the drill pipe sections must be rapidly fitted together and controllably lowered into the well. A device that will fulfill these requirements safely, economically and simply is described below.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 1, an oil well derrick tower i is shown supporting an upper block 3 by means of a bracket 5. A block and tackle composed of upper block 3, a lower block I5 and a cable Il is powered by means of a draw-Works hoist Il, and acts on a drill pipe section IS. One end of cable Il is attached to an anchor i3. Pipe section l0 is connected to lower block E5 by connector 2l. A rotary-drill table 23 is shown centered at the base of the derrick tower I.

The draw-works hoist l? is shown in Fig. 2. It is powered by mechanical means acting through a gear drive 25, which transmits the applied torque through shaft 26 to a keyed cable drum or hoisting sheave 2l'. This shaft is supported by two bearings 3l and 33, and has keyed to it a brake drum 35, an inductor member 31 of an electromagnetic type brake and the cable drum 2l. A brake shoe which is engageable with the brake drum 3e', has its action controlled by a shaft di and a toggle linkage 03. Shaft 4| is keyed to a hand-lever i5 and is supported centrally by a bearing 47. The movable inductor member 3l is enclosed by a stationary, toothed stator and field member 49, the general form of which is like the brake B in U. S. Patent 2,286,777. Specifically, however, the teeth of the field member are constructed along the lines disclosed in U. S. Patent 2,367,636. Its annular field coils are indicated at 6l.

The hand-lever 45, as shown in Fig. 3, is mechanically linked through a link 53 to a movable rheostat arm 5I. The rheostat arm 5l is shown in a disengaged position. In this position a spring-actuated switch 55, which may be of the so-called micro type, is held open by the action of a projection 51 on arm 5l. A rheostat winding 59 is provided, composed of a section 0l of resistance wire and a section 53 of highly conductive metal. A trigger-lever $5 by means of a link 65 controls a spring-actuated, double-pole, singlethrow switch having contacts 83 and 85. This may be of the micro type. Switch contacts 83 and S5 are normally closed. They are opened by the application of pressure on the trigger-lever 65.

Referring now to Fig. 4, an over-all, simplied electrical circuit is shown. The windings 6l of the stationary eld member 49 are connected by a wire "i3 to one side of a direct-current power source ll. To complete the electrical circuit of windings Si, two parallel electrical paths are provided. One path is a shunt through a -wire l5, a contactor 'il and wire I9 to the other side of the power source i l. The second path (shunted by li) is through wire l5, the rheostat arm 5l, rheostat winding 59, a contactor 8| and wire 19, also to the other side of the power source 1I. Contactor 'll is controlled by an actuating coil 87, and, similarly, contactor 8| is controlled by an actuating coil Si. For coil 9| to be energized from the power source 1|, the switch 55 and switch contact 53 must be closed. Similarly, for coil 8i to be energized switch 35 and switch contact S9 must be closed. The two switch contacts t3 and 85 are the two elements of the double-pole, single-throw switch shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Switch 89, which could be classed as a limit switch, is shown in Fig. 1 and is activated by the movement of a spring-loaded reel l and a control cable 9, the latter being attached for motion with the lower part I5 of the hoisting tackle. Switch 0e is normally open, and is closed only when block l5 is higher than a predetermined height F, indicated in Fig. l.

The action of hand-lever i5 is as follows: In position A (Fig. 3) neither the band-type brake or the electromagnetic brake is activated. The electromagnetic brake is not energized, as rheostat arm 5l is not in contact with the rheostat winding 59, assuming that the contactor 'il is also open. The action of this contactor 'Il will be described later. If hand-lever 45 is then moved to position B the electromagnetic brake will be energized through section 5l of rheostat 59, and contactor 8l. The latter in position B is closed by the energization of coil 9| through closure of switch 55. Switch 55 isclosed as soon as handlever i5 is moved from position A. Part of this circuit is switch contact 83, which is normally closed.

As hand-lever 45 is moved to position C, an increasing amount of resistance winding 6! of rheostat 59 is removed from the circuit, causing an increasing current through windings 5l', with an increase in eddy-current electromagnetic braking effect in the rotor 3l'. At position C two actions occur simultaneously. First, the resistance of rheostat 59 becomes effectively zero due to the rheostat arm 51 contacting the highly conductive section 63, and second, the brake shoe 39 begins to expand. As hand-lever 45 is moved toward position E, the brake shoe 39 is gradually increasingly expanded, causing an increased mechanical braking force. The electromagnetic brake continues fully to be energized during this movement.

d At point D a condition exists wherein the mechanical brake is partially energized and the electromagnetic brake is fully energized. At point E, both the mechanical and the electromagnetic brake are fully energized.

To describe the action of the apparatus of this invention several operational examples will be used such as occur in oil well drilling.

The first operation to be performed is that of lowering several sections of drill pipe into an oil well. Initially block l5 is raised to a height great enough to permit the attachment of connector 2l to a drill pipe section I9. For illustration, assume that the length of a section of drill pipe is 90 feet. At this time, the hand-lever is in position E of Fig. 3, and the friction brake and the electromagnetic brake are both fully energized.

If by chance hand-lever i5 is inadvertently moved to position A before the drill pipe section H9 is ready to be lowered, no accident will occur, since the electromagnetic brake will not be deenergized. This safety provision is due to the contactor il', which will always be energized by switch 89 as long as block l5 is above height F and trigger-lever 55 is not activated. If the trigger-lever 65 is accidently pushed while handlever 45 is in-position E (which is the more likely position in which this inadvertence might occur), the electromagnetic brake would be deenergized due to the opening of switches 03 and S5, but the band-type brake would then prevent the drill pipe section i0 from dropping. It is to be understood that in the initial position, with the block I5 higher than line F, the electromagnetic brake will remain energized through contactor Tl. This is due to the limit switch 89 being closed. It is necessary to move hand-lever i5 to position A and to operate trigger lever 55 before the drill pipe section l0 and block l5 may be lowered.

yAfter the necessary connection and alignment of the drill pipe section l0 have been effected, the hand-lever is moved to position A while the trigger lever 65 is squeezed. This action sets both brake systems to release, and the pipe section immediately descends. t is desirable that this falling be as unchecked as possible to conserve time, but it is necessary nally to stop the pipe section I9 positively, safely and without undue wear on the components of the draw-works. As the load is frequently as high as l00,000 pounds and a free drop of feet is desired, the peripheral speed of the cable drum 2l will frequently rise to at least r700 R. P. M., requiring large braking means completely to stop the downward movement in the distance of less than 10 feet. To do this the operator merely moves the hand-lever l5 from position A to position E. The braking eiect of the electromagnetic brake is increasingly applied as the hand-lever Q5 is so moved. The electromagnetic brake of the type described has an adequate capacity to snub the falling load from the high velocity to a speed low enough to permit insertion of slips, or tapered blocks, between the drill pipe section i9 and the rotary drill table 23. Although the band-type brake has sufficient capacity completely to stop the load, it is used principally to hold the drill pipe i9 in a stationary position, and to serve as a safety device if there is any failure of the electromagnetic brake or its slips. Although the mechanical brake is increasingly activated as the hand-lever d5 is moved toward position E, the design is such that a large proportion of the braking force is supplied by the electromagnetic brake, and wear on the friction surfaces of the mechanical brake 'becomes negligible.

To remove drill pipe sections i9 from a well, the following procedure is followed. With the block I5 attached to drill pipe section I9 and the handle in position A, power is supplied to gear 25 in such a manner as rapidly to move upward pipe section I9 and block l5. The hand-lever is moved toward position E at the time that it is desired to cheek upward movenient. This first applies increasing electromagnetic braking effect, then full electromagnetic and increasing mechanical braking effect and nally the full braking force to cable drum 21. The source of power to drive gear 25 is preferably removed whenever hand-lever 45 is moved toward position E; that is to say, whenever any braking action is applied to the drum.

One of the features of this invention is the use of the limit switch 89, connected in effect with the reel l and the cable 9, as an automatic braking control and as a safety device. If the handlever 45 is not moved toward position E as the block I5 and pipe section IS approach the top of derrick tower l, limit switch 89 will be automatically closed as block l5 rises above height F'. This action will actuate contacter l1, thereby fully energizing the electromagnetic brake, and will thus prevent the block I5 from being forced against block 3. Hence the operator may reel up the load quickly by operating the draw-works at full speed and be assured of a snubbing action at the desired upper end of the travel 'without damage to the top of the tower. When the snubbing takes place, he turns off the power which drives the drum 27.

As a further safety measure, batteries 93 are connected so as automatically to power the electromagnetic brake upon any failure of power source 1l. A normally open automatic relay 95 is used to connect battery 93, relay 95 being closed only during failure time of the power source 1i.

It will be seen from the above that movement of the mechanical brake toward application, because of immediate closure of switch 55, and electrical relay action through coil 9! and switch 8i, closes the circuit through the modulating means 6l. The coil 9i and switch 8l may be referred to as a relay for the purpose. Also, the provision of the low-resistance element 63 for movement in the modulator permits the mechanical brake to be set fully after complete application of the eddy-current brake. In addition, the limit switch 89, by energizing the relay coil 8T and switch Tl, provides a by-pass circuit around the modulator 6| for exciting the coils 61, thereby assuring, upon a withdrawal of the draw-works, of a maximum eddy-current braking action irrespective of the position of the mechanical means for setting the mechanical brake.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As many changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A braking system for a hoisting drum or the like, comprising an eddy-current brake associated with the drum, a friction brake associated therewith, a circuit for energizing the eddy-current brake, modulating means in said attimo circuit responsive to application of the friction brake for increasing the excitation and braking operation of the eddy-current brake, means responsive to a predetermined amount of hoisting action 'for applying the eddy-current brake without said modulation, and independently operable means for releasing the eddy-current brake when the friction brake is released.

2. Braking apparatus comprising a hoist, an eddy-current Abrake and a friction brake therefor, movable mechanical means for applying and releasing the friction lbrake, a circuit for exciting the eddy-current brake, control means in said circuit responsive to application movement of the mechanical brake for applying the eddy-current brake with modulation prior to mechanical braking action, said control means having movement beyond its modulating movement whereby the friction brake may be finally applied after application of the eddy-current brake, and means responsive to movement of the hoist to a predetermined position for fully applying the eddycurrent brake without modulation regardless of the position of the mechanical brake.

3. A braking system for load hoists and the like comprising an eddy-current brake and a friction brake for the hoist, a circuit for exciting the eddy-current brake, a movable member for setting the friction brake, a modulator in a part of said circuit for modulating excitation of' the eddy-current brake, a first relay switch in said part of the circuit responsive to said member when the latter is moved in a direction toward setting the friction brake whereby the` modulator is made operative, the eddy-current brake being increasingly excited to a desired maximum before the friction brake is fully set, a second relay switch in said circuit responsive to a predetermined elevated position of the load for fully exciting said eddy-current brake independently of the modulating positions of saidv movable member, and independent control means for opening both relay switches to permit said load to descend when said member is in its. position of release in respect to the friction brake.

4. A braking system for hoists and the like comprising an eddy-current brake and a friction brake for the hoist, a circuit for exciting the eddy-current brake, a first movable member for setting the friction brake, a modulator in said circuit for modulating excitation of the eddycurrent brake, iirst switch apparatus in said circuit including elements responsive to said rst movable member when the latter is moved in a direction toward setting the friction brake to make the modulator operative to control the eddy-current brake before the friction brake is fully set, second switch apparatus in said circuit including elements responsive to a predetermined position of the hoist for exciting said eddy-current brake, and an independently controlled Second movable member for opening both switch apparatuses in any position of the first movable member.

5. A braking system for load hoists and the like comprising an eddy-current brake and a friction brake for the hoist, a circuit for exciting the eddy-current brake, a rst movable member for setting the friction brake, a modulator in a part of said circuit for modulating excitation of the eddy-current brake, a shunt around said modulator part for unmodulated excitation of the eddy-current brake, relay contacts in said shunt and shunted parts of the circuit, parallel 7 connections across said circuit respectively for relay coils operating said relay contacts, independently movable switch mechanism for opening both of said arallel connections, a limit switch responsive to a predetermined position of the load and located in the parallel connection controlling the relay contact in the shunt to close the latter, and a switch in the' other parallel connection responsive to movement of the first movable member toward a position to set the friction brake and adapted to close the relay contact in the modulator part of the circuit.

MARTIN P. WINTI-IER.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS I\Tur'nber Name Date Hiss et al. Dec. 22, i903 Haalmeijer et al. Dec. 29, 1931 

